The Ice Melts
by Pollux Unbound
Summary: Sequel to The Real Ice Prince, Sakuragi POV. The redhead tries to figure out what's bothering Kaede Rukawa and decides to cheer the latter up. PostSannoh game setting. I suck at summaries. Oneshot. You decide the pairing. This sucks, totally.


Disclaimer: I don not own the SD characters; Takehiko Inoue does.

It started right after our game against Sannoh, the number one high school team in Japan. We didn't want to hit the lockers and end the celebration too abruptly. As one would expect from a victorious basketball team, everyone would brag about the deadly shots, fancy assists, lightning-speed fastbreaks he made, and so on. But Mitchy and Kitsune were talking seriously, almost solemnly at the rear of the Shohoku's victorious lines of players. They weren't actually conversing, because Mitchy was obviously doing all the talking while the Kitsune just kept on nodding like an idiot.

"You're on professional level, sure, and you've greatly helped the team advance to the nationals. But if he himself is not yet fit for international fame, you're less likely to make it to America." I could hear Mitchy say.

"Hmm," Kitsune seemed to want to say more but Mitchy had went on ahead of him.

Since when did these two morons learn serious talk? Mitchy was actually giving pieces of advice and, worse, Rukawa was considering what the senior had said.

I was sent to the hospital after that. I didn't have the opportunity to play against Aichi's star, Japan's number two, Dai Morohoshi.

My back injury, as it turned out, was worse than I thought. It was a good thing Ayako gave my ball-saving disgrace a good attention. Had I persevered to play against Aiwa, they would've crushed the team so badly and aggravated my injury.

Kitsune and Gori were given the opportunity to join the All Japan Junior Basketball Camp, and so were Sendoh, Maki and Jin. So yeah, major fuck shit. So much for worshipping my lowly replacements.

After the team's defeat to Aiwa, everyone stayed for a few more days for the remaining games and the awards ceremony.

That was when Rukawa started visiting me at the hospital. He said that the camp was challenging but he had nothing else to do during non-practice days. He couldn't look for a local basketball court because he wasn't familiar with the prefecture. That was when we became friends which seemed shit because he got shit for attitude. Moving on, I learned much about him.

I had never known this side of Rukawa. It was as though he wanted to take care of me and there were even times when he would miss practice sessions just to accompany me in my daily 'recuperating' walk on the beach. Sure, basketball was the most important thing to him, but he was capable of connecting with another person, which was perhaps the most mind-boggling shit I was ever faced with.

And I was sure I was dreaming when he confessed something to me that shook my opinions regarding Rukawa Kaede. How could someone so cold, selfish, secretive, uninteresting and almost heartless be capable of caring for someone? And this was the real Rukawa. The real ice prince was, after all, a human being. He knew passion, esteemed affection and regarded his sentiments highly. He told me he was gay and I almost cringe to the far side of my bed, at that time. Strictly at that time. It all happened too fast and I couldn't grasp why, of all people, would he entrust his secrets to someone like me? Who IS a major genius of the universe.

He trusted me, he said. But I couldn't remember doing anything that would merit me this kind of treatment. I wanted to ask him a lot of things and I would have done so if I knew where to start. So I waited for him to be ready to reveal how he learned about his nature. I waited but nothing came. Did he want me to figure it out by myself?

I came to visit the training camp and some of the participants recognized me as the 'savior of THAT game'. It did flatter me, alright, but I was still affected by the fact that I wasn't chosen to be a part of the All Japan Team.

My eyes fell on Rukawa. As though he was aware that someone had come to see him, he took a last minute shot and headed towards my direction.

"Hey."

"Hey...listen, Kaede, I've been released from that hospital and I suppose I'll be leaving tomorrow. I'll just see you at school."

"Oh...OK then..." he said

"Good luck with your training." I said immediately to save him from his wordless absorption of what I had just said.

"Yeah, you train yourself too."

"See you, kitsune." I said and smiled him before leaving.

"Bye."

A month went by and when Kaede returned from the camp, his improvement was immense. He admitted that he was still below Sendoh's level and that he didn't manage to grab as many boards as I had during that glorious night against Sannoh. It must have been true but I had the feeling he was just saying that to give me harmless compliments.

I asked him one day, out of curiosity,

"Who is it, then?"

"Who is?" he asked back

"You can't be gay for no reason. Who-who do you love?" I asked trying to sound as courteous as possible.

"..." he just stared at me, apparently not knowing how to answer.

"I'm sorry," I apologized immediately for I had sensed he wasn't ready to answer that. But I continued anyway, "You can trust me. I just want to know. I want to help you. You're not someone I can call happy and you probably can't tell where I'm leading this conversation to, but I'm your friend. I want to help." I said sincerely. I meant every word of that statement, mind you.

I couldn't pay him back with all the appreciation he had given me. Our games and studies required most of our limited time but still he found ways for us to enjoy what little time we had left for leisure activities. For him, it wasn't a matter of available time; it was an argument of character. Once he decided on something, then that was to happen no matter what. Clearly he had chosen to deviate from what everyone expected from him.

"..." still no answer

"Well, just be the Kaede you want to be and if you need anything, I mean anything, I'll be glad to help." I smiled reassuringly before leaving.

I might have said something to cause him a considerable shift on his behavior. He would still talk to me and listen to everything I had to say but I could tell he had grown weary. So I, without thinking twice, asked him another bold question.

"It's Mitchy, isn't it?"

"..." Again, he just stared at me, but this time there was a quiet astonishment drawn across his face that I was almost taken aback.

"Well," I hesitated before continuing, "I noticed you and Mitchy have been talking a lot lately and he's grown to show and share his wisdom of the game. He's really mature now, not to mention the most good-looking guy in the school so it's not a surprise for me if you had fallen-"

"Stop. It's not sempai so don't go assuming things you know nothing about." he was back to his cold self. There was a mixture of disappointment and annoyance in his expression and try as I might, I couldn't decipher his feelings. I couldn't draw any conclusion at all.

He started packing his stuff which made me a little upset but luckily, I had grown a little more patient than before.

"Look, I don't get you at all. I want you to be...OK, I'm being sentimental which is completely against my nature and I know I should be given credit for that. I just want you to be at least cheerful. I know it's too much to ask, with you being the Ice Prince and all, but it's not for me. It's for you. I'm your friend, probably the best friend you've ever had, and I'm treating you just the same. And I don't fucking care if you're gay whatsoever." I finished breathlessly.

He sighed and stared at his right and I could almost feel despair from his breathing.

"There's no one. I'm just gay. That's all. I'm kinda confused so this is just not the right time to straighten me up." He said as he looked at me straight in the eyes.

It wasn't at all convincing, although he had a point. As for me, I almost kicked myself for pushing my speculations ahead of me.

"Ok" I said just to break the ensuing silence

After that, he lightened up or he probably just kept his worries to himself. I was still convinced that everything has to do with Mitsui.

I didn't know what devilry got into me but I managed to make Mitsui reveal his feelings for Rukawa. The senior said he had long been pining for Kaede and just by seeing how enthusiastic he was whenever we talked about him, his infatuation was greatly evident.

Time passed and Kaede found someone who's more than a friend in Mitsui. I was really happy for the both of them. Indeed, seeing Mitsui's delight whenever he was with Kaede was more than satisfaction. And Kitsune's way of returning the favor to the senior was more than mission accomplished. I, the Genius Hanamichi Sakuragi, had just made two people happy.

The truth is, Kaede is just about the right person for me. Until now, he keeps me away from my worries and I don't know what else could explain the fact that my opinion of him changed from a selfish bastard to a friend I could rely on. I do know that the remnants of that desire which had gnawed fire in my heart long ago still live in me. I just gave up on it long ago. I can't say I screwed up because it's been a pleasure knowing the Real Ice Prince. And the life-turning experience of a broken heart made me an accomplished person; I just can't explain how. But it has something to do with learning that being turned down by more that fifty girls is no more than a mosquito bite compared to it.

-end-


End file.
